Message from discussion
The future is now...
Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!ogicse!emory!mephisto!mcnc!ecsgate!bch
From: b...@uncecs.edu (Byron C. Howes)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling
Subject: Re: The future is now...
Message-ID: <1990Apr5.165638.27588@uncecs.edu>
Date: 5 Apr 90 16:56:38 GMT
References: <40732@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service
Lines: 95
Posted: Thu Apr 5 17:56:38 1990
In article <40...@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> JONESRA%AQUA.dec...@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (REX A. JONES 857-9563) writes:
>Clearly, the #1 organization remains the WWF (as far as size and depth of
>talent pool goes...also recognition from the various grades of fans).
Here goes the litany again. Rex, you're beginning to sound like Brother Love!
Granted the WWF heads the list in popularity and it would certainly be voted
the #1 _promotion_ on the basis of purely financial success. It would not be
voted the #1 organization by any group of smart fans or any of the kayfabe
sheets. This seems to bother you and I can't figure out why.
>However, there is a change that is taking place due to the eventual
>retirement of mainstay Hulk Hogan: He probably will be back for WM VII,
>win the title back and retire. Also, Andre The Giant is reaching the end
>of his career. These are two rather large holes to fill for Vince & Co.
They wouldn't be if Vince had significant change built into his booking.
The one weakness I've found in Vince's booking is that title changes involve
a great deal of tortuous reorganization. That he can, for whatever reason,
not have a heel champ made the Wrestlemania VI main event problematic.
There can be no long-term feud over a title and title changes cannot take
place at normal house shows (non-TV taped.) It pretty well ties his hands.
It's odd. Gene Kiniski was NWA champ for longer than Hogan has been WWF
champ. When he was beaten by Harley Race the NWA didn't miss a beat.
How come Hogan's retirement is a problem for Vince?
>Perhaps the only other
>cloud would be if McMahon decided to sell the WWF and go into another form
>of Mass Media.
If past is prologue I think he'll stick to what he knows best. "No Holds
Barred" just about made up for the money he lost on the Leonard LaLonde
fight.
>The #2 organization remains the NWA. This organization is facing many
>problems also. Long time champion Ric Flair appears to be at the end of
>his career, and only the Road Warriors are close to nationally recognized
>household names.
Agreed the NWA is facing problems. Mostly itself. The loss of Ric Flair
is not nearly as potentially devastating to the NWA as the loss of Hogan
to the WWF because while he's the centerpiece of the promotion (at the
moment) he has made himself replaceable. While he's close to the end of
his active career, like Terry Funk he's got years of commenting, managing,
and less active participation ahead of him. He's certainly a better
interview than Hogan which will hold him in good stead.
As for the Roadies, I think they've already lost their edge. The NWA
doesn't even use them as a top-card team any more. What's nationally
recognized and what is not is dependent on the promotion's publicity
machine not (sadly) on the innate ability of the wreslters.
>Arn Anderson's career appears to be in question, and
>apparently he was expected to help the NWA out of a mid-1989 to early 1990
>downturn. Then there's Sting's knee, which may or may not be able to hold
>up under the rigors of wrestling night in and night out.
Sting's knee is going to be fine. If Danny Manning can come back to basketball
with a similar injury (basketball being much harder on the knees than
professional wrestling) Sting's current rate of recovery indicates he'll
do fine. A more interesting question is to whether the NWA really wants
a guy who will refuse to do a job to get their top heel over as their
champ. I've lost considerable respect for Sting since his refusal to put
Funk over last summer.
>I think that there will
>finally be a single recognized national overseeing organization (WWF
>probably) with its champion recognized as overall champion. There will be
>one national talent pool challenging for the world titles, and the other
>organizations will provide talent for the traveling cards. This is
>analogous to the old NWA set-up as a loose cover organization of local
>promoters. This time, I think that the national organization will be
>much stronger, and will be able to maintain its overall dominance.
I don't agree. I think, if anything, house shows will become extinct.
As has been pointed out, the number of people making a living from pro-
fessional wrestling in the U.S. is probably under 200, down from 3,000
or so in the 60s. The world of professional wrestling is television
and national coverage. Who will go to a house show if they can't see
the same guys they see on TV? You can't get 500 people into a house
show run by a nontelevised promotion now.
One organization? Again not likely. Fewer titles == less draw.
Unless the WWF actually buys out the NWA and the USWA they'll retain
their own titles do do with as they please. We aren't talking about a
regulated sport, here.
--Byron
--
Byron Howes UNC Educational Computing Service
b...@uncecs.edu W: 919/549-0671 H: 919/933-2859
P.O. Box 663, Carrboro, NC 27510
"Ya talk the talk, but do ya walk the walk?" -- Animal Mother
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